


Sense

by Tyrelingkitten



Category: Twosetviolin, Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Character Study, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, Gen, Gen or Pre-Slash, M/M, Mostly Gen, themes, twosetviolin - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-03
Updated: 2020-07-22
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:07:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,183
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24481750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tyrelingkitten/pseuds/Tyrelingkitten
Summary: A tale of their relationship described in 5 senses.Not beta'd.
Relationships: Eddy Chen & Brett Yang, Eddy Chen/Brett Yang
Comments: 39
Kudos: 102





	1. Sight

**Author's Note:**

> Prompts from [5-sense @ LJ](https://5sentence-fics.livejournal.com/). 
> 
> Disclaimer: This is RPF. This is purely fictional. If you're B and E, please look away.

The years hasn’t been kind to Brett’s eyes. Every visit to his Ophthalmologist consists of the usual eye-checkup and then prescription for new glasses or relieving eye drops.

“It’s normal for your age.” The doctor has assured him. “We can only slow down the process.” The doctor doesn’t provide warnings or substantive advice for better eye maintenance because Brett’s eyes are probably not salvageable. It’s not like he is blaming sheet music with compressed notes and notations for his deteriorating sight.

It takes a moment for Brett to get used to the rounded edges of his frames. The new glasses feel uncomfortable on his nose but that’s to be expected for every new pair. At least the new pair provides clearer vision.

His poor mother keeps urging him to have the eye surgery to fix his sight. But that isn’t an option he considers well within his budget. He has long accepted he will forever wear glasses for the rest of his life and hopes that by the time he hits thirty-five that technology will have improved and the eyeglass lenses will be lighter and slimmer.

He could start wearing contact lenses though. He wears them occasionally when he is out drinking, putting on his fancy hazel brown contact lenses to gain many appreciative glances across the floor.

However, Brett doesn’t think he could abandon his glasses completely. Without them, he feels like he is walking around naked, fully exposed, like he has forgotten to wear pants in the middle of a morning run.

His analogy makes Eddy laugh because the concept of glasses is foreign for someone who has always had perfect 20/20 vision.

“It’s like you enjoy hiding behind them.” Eddy teases.

“Well, yeah, they are protective gears from anything coming at my face.” Brett counters. “Don’t make fun of my armor.”

Like any ignorant and annoying non-glasses-wearing person out there, Eddy asks Brett to lend him his glasses.

Brett huffs. “Why do you keep asking me every time I get a new pair?”

“Maybe I need glasses.” Eddy comments offhandedly and opens his palm to accept Brett’s glasses. 

Brett can’t see much when he offers his glasses, only a soft Eddy-shaped outline humming in front of him.

He guesses Eddy probably looks good wearing his glasses. Anything looks good on Eddy these days. From their new merch to the bird-nest hair Eddy often sports these days. Brett catches himself from continuing that line of thought.

Right.

If Eddy ends up wearing glasses for real, the world is doomed.

And Brett will be the first to meet his end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> I was going to do sexy tiems with the prompts but due to the lack of motivation these days, I decided to go back to my roots which is gen fic or vague gen/ship fic.
> 
> Edit: My twitter is candlestickycat. I'm on private though so please forgive me for lurking in the fandom.


	2. Smell

The room smells like Eddy.

Brett’s mind pauses.

Brett usually doesn’t think about how a room smells like the first thing in the morning when he wakes up. Things that run through his mind are usually– _ugh so tired, not enough sleep, fucking back pain, hip pain acting up again, stiff shoulders again, too frigging cold,_ or simply just _it’s another morning again,_ and the classic _AaAaAaahhhhh!!!_

But never… _Eddy_.

To be fair, he is in Eddy’s apartment, having stayed the night to film several videos for hours the day before. It shouldn’t be surprising that the scent of Eddy is hanging everywhere.

He has known Eddy for over a decade now. It is to be expected that Brett would be used to how an Eddy smells like—such as the cologne he has been using over the years, the aftershave, the shampoo or the body wash—always that distinctive Eddy-ness.

For consistency sake, the guestroom should smell like stale air conditioning and fresh-washed sheets, instead of like… Eddy.

Like cotton sprigs tickling his nose.

Like being wrapped up in a too tight hug.

Like the sun rays beating down the pavement in the middle of a beautiful morning sky.

…okay, maybe it is time to focus on something more productive than the… Eddy-ness, Brett decides and rolls out from under the thick covers to start his morning routine, rubbing at his eyes and giving into a yawn.

The door to the bathroom is open where Eddy is already brushing his teeth, his eyes closed, bed hair sticking up in every direction and his hip resting against the sink.

“Morning.” Eddy grunts sleepily behind a toothbrush without opening his eyes to look at Brett. He steps sideways, allowing Brett to reach for his toothbrush and toothpaste.

“Morning.” Brett returns. He doesn’t question how Eddy knows that Brett is there in the first place. Things just are simpler when he doesn’t dwell on Eddy’s supernatural ability to know wherever Brett comes in.

Brett goes through the habitual motions of brushing his teeth and hums when Eddy leans against him instead of the sink.

He pushes Eddy off with his elbow. Then Eddy returns with his own elbow. The elbow war starts getting tenser and tenser, until Eddy nearly chokes on the toothpaste from laughing and they decide to call it quits.

Yeah.

Even the bathroom smells like Eddy now.


	3. Sound

When you are friends with someone for over a decade, you either notice miniscule changes without mentioning out loud or remain silent for a while until you blurt it out without context. Oftentimes, it brings out interesting conversation topics and shows how long they have been attached to each other like two people wearing the same pair of pants, like a shadow following your every movement.

It’s embarrassing though, Brett admits, he is probably losing out on Eddy when it comes to noticing said minuscule changes.

It’s not to say that Brett DOESN’T notice anything about Eddy—no, not really—it’s more likely Brett notices but chooses not to make a big deal about them. After all, if Eddy decides to change his hairstyle to match a popular K-pop idol Brett doesn’t know of, Brett’s acknowledging “Nice!” would have been enough. There is no need to be that mushy about it.

It’s different for Eddy, though. Brett has known him long enough to realize it’s one of the traits Eddy that makes him—well—Eddy.

For example that one time…

“Did you cut your hair?” Eddy remarked.

Brett was busy pumping himself up for the charades challenge when Eddy’s irrelevant question made him double-take and furrow his eyebrows for a second. He took another minute too slow to react with “What. That has nothing to do with—what the fu- even?”

They both got a chuckle out of it and surprisingly, editor-san left the scene uncut in the final version of their video.

Afterwards, Eddy had touched the ends of the Brett’s hair and patted the bangs to the side almost reverently. “Looks nice. You look younger now.”

“You think I looked old before?” Brett shot back. “Dude, we’re only one year apart.”

“I know.” Eddy grinned. “And now everyone will think you’re younger than me.”

“Does it matter?” Brett swatted Eddy’s hand away. “And stop touching my hair. You’re messing up the styling.”

“But it’s so soft.” Eddy protested between snorts of laughter.

Or that one time…

“Did your sound go deeper?”

Brett was busy practicing a phrasing of a piece, his expression deep in concentration when Eddy’s remark made him skid his bow over the strings and drop his shoulder rest (“Oh fuck!” Brett blurted). They both shared a look and ended up laughing. He will get back at Eddy for messing with him during practice.

“What do you mean my sound got deeper?” Brett asks as he places his violin on his shoulder to check. “Is the G-string?”

“No, I mean, not your violin itself.” Eddy says. He has his eyebrows furrowed and is resting his finger on his chin. “I was just thinking… you used to sound really high. When we first met.”

Brett stares at Eddy, trying to catch Eddy’s line of thought and makes a face. “You mean my voice?”

“Yeah.” Eddy nods, impressed. “I think I remember your voice used to be high and now it’s not.” 

“Like you’re one to talk. Your voice cracked for months.” Brett teases and Eddy’s impressed expression turns into embarrassment.

“Nooooo, don’t remind me.” Eddy groans and drops his face into both his palms in shame. “I wasn’t trying to make fun of you.”

“Sorry.” Brett holds his violin under his arm. “That’s so random. What made you bring it up?”

“I was just thinking out loud.” Eddy admits. “Your voice has gotten deeper a lot lately. Like maybe a tone deeper. I mean, we are getting older so it’s to be expected that your sound will grow more in maturity.”

Brett hums and decides to humor his friend, “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

Eddy looks up from his thoughtful pose, his mouth hanging open, but he doesn’t reply immediately. Instead he frowns, inhales and then deflates. “I don’t know.” He says. “Haven’t decided yet.”

“Well.” Brett is at a loss now. “Tell me once you’ve figured it out.”

“Yeah.”

“Now stop distracting me. I need to practice.”

Brett realizes Eddy notices A LOT about him. As if he is mapping every part of Brett into his very consciousness, burning Brett’s whole existence into his memory and showing his sincere interest in everything that is Brett.

Brett hasn’t figured out if that’s a good thing or not, either.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is starting to sound like a love letter /hides face\\.


	4. Touch

He hears it commented upon from friends, peers, colleagues alike, including their own family.

“You and Eddy are so close to each other. Such good friends.”

They don’t think twice about it—at least, Brett doesn’t and he is fairly sure Eddy doesn’t either—familiarity bleeds into the way they treat each other. Of course, like any friends, they have their own moments of tension, of anger, or frustration—but usually they are resolved rather quickly, away from the camera, away from prying ears and eyes. That always surprises and amazes people around them.

It is in the tone they address each other, in the way they touch each other—a friendship that is built upon years of closeness, of wild naive ideas, of bubble tea nights, of countless sleepovers and of continuous supportive challenges.

There is always this tacit understanding between them that everything can be discussed without judgment. That everything they do is in well within consideration of each other’s values and opinions. That nothing Eddy would say or do will faze Brett at all, because Brett will never take it personally and vice versa.

Perhaps that’s why everything seems to be smooth sailing, why everything seems to come easily for both of them and why “You two are like an old married couple,” gets thrown so easily to them.

It is funny the first few times they get that comment—an ongoing joke between friends. But the novelty of it quickly wears off when the world jumps in and runs away with it.

Brett doesn’t really care all that much. Everyone can say whatever they want about their proximity. However, he can’t say the same for Eddy.

“If we’re like old married couple we should probably fight more.” Eddy remarks, his tone rather harsh and annoyed, despite having been in a good mood five minutes ago. They are both scrolling through comments on their phones, checking their various social media accounts, and perhaps Eddy has encountered a comment that is phrased annoyingly impolite.

“That’s not healthy.” Brett says immediately and he presses their shoulders together in an attempt to calm him down. It seems to work because Eddy easily relaxes against him, shifting down a bit to accommodate his height and lays his head onto Brett’s bony shoulder. “Old married couple can also mean being attuned to each other. You usually don’t get snappy about this. Is there something you want to talk about?”

“Nah, nothing important.” Eddy says distractedly.

Brett doesn’t pester him to elaborate.

Eddy tends to let ideas fester in his mind, to look at things inwardly. Whatever wayward topics are floating in his mind, Brett is confident that once he has found the words to articulate them, Eddy will share them. And when Eddy is in one of those moods, he tends to crave touches. A knee pressed against Brett’s thigh. Or an arm snaked around Brett’s own. At one point, his head on Brett’s lap. As if having Brett so close is grounding him to reality from any crazy thoughts flying around into the stratosphere. 

“You know, I love you, right?” Eddy murmurs after a minute or two. 

Brett hums in acknowledgement. He no longer goes red whenever Eddy spouts out words of endearment. They have said these words so many times by now that the days they get embarrassed over these trivialities seem like a thing from the past.

“I’ve been wondering about this for a while.” Eddy pauses, hesitates and tugs one of Brett’s hands loose from holding his phone. Plays with the tips of Brett’s callused fingers. “If soul mates are real you would be mine and I’d be yours… right?”

Wait... huh?

A beat of silence.

Brett feels the hot flush spread across his cheeks and ears in an instant and dares to look at Eddy in the eye. He isn’t sure what kind of expression his face is showing, so whatever it is, Eddy looks both scared and pleased at the same time.

“The fuck you’re spewing this late for?” Brett spits out after a few false starts where he nearly forgets how his mouth should work. 

“I thought you should know before you misunderstand my intentions.” Eddy is having a hard time suppressing his mirth.

“You bastard.” Brett huffs. “I thought it was something important that made you annoyed. Like some troll calling us names or whatever shit.”

“This _is_ important, Brett.” Eddy insists. “And trolls don’t bother me. They just reminded me of something to discuss. I’d very much like to know where we stand in this old married couple narrative. So, soul mates?”

“That’s so.” Brett grimaces. “I don’t know—mushy. Do we even have to join the whole narrative by everyone’s standards? We might as well just be Brett and Eddy.”

“Like our BaE song?”

“… Close. But it will do for now.”

“You sound like mom. It’s scary.”

“No, I don’t. You’re making this too complicated than it should.”

“Then what do you suggest we do with this? I’d say, announce it to the world. On social media.”

“You’ve already done that, on video no less, but it didn’t work, did it?”

Eddy deflates, drooping his shoulder and entangles their fingers together. “Nobody is taking us seriously.”

“Why is this bothering you anyway? We get comments like that all the time.” Brett stops and narrows his eyes. “Are you… jealous?”

Eddy immediately recoils and scoots away. “Maybe a little.”

“What are you jealous of?” Brett asks gently.

“It’s stupid.” Eddy sighs. “Many people find you attractive, cute even lately. I just think it’s unfair that they only realize it now whenever we bounce off ideas and finish each other’s sentences and think they have a chance with you. I’m sorry. This is something stupid.”

“Okay.” Brett acknowledges. “Let’s go with soul mates then.”

“You don’t think it’s too much?”

“We have no control over what everyone thinks of us. Might as well come clean with it.”

“… That’s true.”

“Okay, enough moping.” Brett slaps him on the thigh. “Break time’s over. Get your violin, Eddy.”

“NoooOOOooo. Read the atmosphere, Bretty. How could you ruin this perfect moment?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The funny thing about writing this fic is, it was supposed to be an ode to Brett Yang. But nobody would believe me since it turned into an ode to Eddy instead. v_v I’ll get to that… some day? Maybe? I just have so many thoughts and they made no sense here asdjfjgkhlh.


	5. Taste

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really tried. Had so many setbacks with writing the end.
> 
> But thanks to @missssmon for listening to me complain and putting up with my ramblings.

*

Ever since the high-neck shirt picture got released, there has been many thirsty comments about Eddy in the tags as of late.

Wait, that’s wrong, there has been _many_ of those comments for years. But not as noticeable as the sudden boom of recent ones.

As if a dam has broken loose and their fans were left parched and frustrated at its wake; the comments became more blatant when Eddy started wearing glasses, when his jawline became more defined, when his face and shoulders filled out in all the right angles.

Especially when Eddy did that thing with his mouth where he would loosen his jaw and let his teeth peak out—the perfect sample of a _fuckboi_ model look, as someone once said in the Eddy tag, looking like an actual K-pop idol.

Fans commented and sighed at how hot and sexy Eddy looked in video cuts or pictures. The same Eddy scenes get edited into a .gif or a fan video over and over again for more exposure, crowding the tag.

Which Brett finds particularly weird.

Eddy had shrieked in embarrassment when he had dared to deep dive into their fan tags associated with TwoSetViolin and their names.

But Brett was sure Eddy felt incredibly pleased about the attention, the fucker. The little smirk on Eddy’s face when he showed Brett a particularly funny but straightforward fan gasping at Eddy’s neckline.

While Eddy is treated like an unattainable idol that unconsciously thirst-traps his fans, Brett is more often than not, called many adjectives aka cute and adorable. Nobody has admitted to thirsting for Brett so far. At least, not as far as Brett has seen whenever Brett tries to gain some personal validation that _he_ also has his own fans, in contrast to Eddy’s fans.

Eddy’s fans are simply much more vocal about their parched throats.

That dedication is admirable, but also something which Brett finds hilarious.

Has TwoSetViolin raised a cult following for classical musicians?

Or have they unexpectedly created a legion of thirsty musician fans instead?

Brett can’t see it though. He can’t see the hotness factor the fans all speak of in the comments and tags.

Eddy has always been… well, Eddy-looking.

Brett is so used to seeing his friend’s face. It never even occurs to him that Eddy and hot and sexy can be put in one sentence without resorting to sarcasm or a long-standing joke.

How can he attach those adjectives to the friend he’s grown up with? The friend he has known for over a decade now. The one whom he has seen at his worst, at his best and the in between that not even Eddy dares to remember.

Brett remembers the white zits and the acne breakouts, the days when Eddy’s voice rose high and cracked in the middle or at the end of each sentence, the too-large shirts that hung rather loosely on Eddy’s then thin frame and the many uncomfortable teenager phases he had gone through.

So the thought of calling Eddy hot or sexy or anything remotely attractive just never came up.

*

It did.

Much later though.

*

Perhaps, it’s started with that one time Brett found one of Eddy’s packages mixed in with his own, a small indistinctive package that Brett had accidentally opened without checking who it was addressed to.

Brett thought it was something he had ordered a month ago, the one that got delayed due to some production hick-ups and shipping issues. Thinking back though, he can’t for the life remember what that order had been, probably something small and irrelevant, so Brett had torn open the envelope with a cutter and held it upside down to shake out the contents.

Out came a small pink flowery package wrapped in bubble wrap. It was a lip balm and had Korean characters written all over.

He squinted at the colorful package, so peculiar out of place from everything he would order online.

He had taken the lip balm out of the bubble wrap and its packaging out of curiosity, and twisted open the cap to test the color on the back of his palm. The streak across his skin was sparkling and sheer pink in color. It smelt of very sweet too, like apples or cherries.

Definitely not something Brett would order online.

Was it a gift for Eddy’s sister?

Brett guiltily put the lip balm back into the packaging and the original envelope, and apologized to Eddy for opening the present once he came back from picking up dinner at his parent’s house.

“Oh, that.” Eddy had said, something funny about his tone that Brett couldn’t identify. “It’s fine. It’s not exactly a present for my sis, though.”

“Oh? Who is it for?” Brett asked. 

“It’s uh…” Eddy gnawed unconsciously on his lower lip. “It’s mine actually.”

“Oh.” Brett blinked at him, his eyes flickered down to Eddy’s lips. “Chapped lips?”

“Yeah.” Eddy flushed red. “Belle recommended this brand. She said she’d sent me something… her Holy Grail moisturizing lip balm.”

“… Cool.” Brett decided. 

“Yeah.” Eddy looked rather pleased. “Hey, you can borrow mine if you’ve trouble with dry lips too.”

“No, thanks.”

“It’s fine, really. Sis mentioned your lips needs some color too. The new lighting makes you look extra pale.”

Brett gave him a look. “… I’ll think about it then.”

*

Yeah, probably started at that time.

*

Whenever they talked to each other, Brett’s eyes would involuntarily glance towards Eddy’s mouth.

Brett ended up wondering whether or not his friend had used the lip balm today. 

Once, Brett had looked over Eddy’s shoulder and caught him tapping through various browser tabs on lip care and lip make-up.

Maybe Eddy ordered more on his own? If he did, would it be an ordinary scentless chap stick? Or would it be fruity-flavored? Would it have a glossy effect? Would it be colorless or pinkish? 

Brett didn’t know.

But he is now invested in this odd fascination with Eddy’s lip care.

*

It’s all his fault.

Him.

*

“How do I look?” Eddy grins at him, his bunny teeth peaking from behind his lips as he strikes a pose. Every day it seems like Eddy is getting more and more confident in his modeling skills. Reading the thirst comments have boosted his confidence and stroked his ego. Eddy even pulls off a professional model expression, opening his mouth slightly and lowering his eyelashes in the sunlight.

Brett takes one look at him, the new sleek rimmed glasses goes well with Eddy’s new haircut, the new merch apparel fits right at the shoulders, and the sharp angles of Eddy’s jawline the smooth pinkness of his lips—definitely wearing the lip balm—Brett sighs inwardly—the world is so unfair.

Eddy looks-

“Old.” Brett says.

 _-hot?_

Eddy deflates, pouting.

“Well, you look fine before and now with glasses.” Brett explains. “Just… old.”

“Mean.” Eddy doesn’t look convinced but he lets it slide as he gets distracted by a passing bus with a popular idol face painted across its body. He cranes his neck to follow the bus make a turn and quickly pulls out his phone to take a picture of it for his own amusement. While Eddy checks the picture, his mouth curling up in a crooked smile, Brett leans in close to look at the picture as well for no other reason than bland curiosity.

“Who is it?” Brett asks.

“It’s Jungkookie!” Eddy grins and pulls out what looks like a BTS printed lip balm merch from his pocket. He proudly shows Brett the face printed on the plastic cover first before popping open the cap, twisting the lip balm out of its tube and drags it across his lips. Once and then twice, with practiced ease.

Brett’s eyes involuntarily follow Eddy’s movements. 

Eddy pops his lips a few times to spread the balm evenly and when he catches Brett staring, he smirks and holds out his lip balm. Cooing. “I know you’re interested in some. Come on. It’s not as bad as it looks.”

Brett pulls a face at him, grimacing, saying he’s not interested. His expression must have been so hilarious that Eddy has a laughing fit and nearly drops his glasses when he tries to wipe the tears from his eyes.

*

Ah, there he is.

That motherfucker.

*

The lip balms or chap sticks or whatever the fuck the lip care products are called, most definitely are working well for Eddy.

His lips no longer look chapped or dry. They no longer look colorless and dull either. They look healthy, plump and soft, and plenty moisturized and very, very pink.

Brett grudgingly admits that he has been staring at Eddy’s lips a lot.

With the amount of lip balms Brett has caught Eddy carrying these days (five, he has friggin’ five that he uses interchangeably during filming), Brett inevitably wonders how they would they felt and tasted like.

Does Eddy try to lick his lips when he wears lip balm?

Does he drag his tongue across his mouth for a quick taste?

Was it delicious as it smells?

Brett is not being weird here.

He is just… curious.

And fascinated.

And very much intrigued.

Brett has caught a whiff whenever Eddy moves extra close into his space, with a come hither smirk playing on his lips, eyes twinkling daringly from behind his eyelashes, and Brett doesn’t know where to move his limbs and simply holds himself still, frozen in one place, until Eddy moves away, looking as if nothing happened.

He sighs in relief, breathless and confused, at whatever Eddy is trying to pull for crowding into his face so often.

All he could think about is that Brett’s sweet tooth is acting up and Eddy’s honey-flavored-scented lip balm is not helping at all.

*

Oh.

*

This cat and mouse game would work if there are high stakes introduced early on. Like a beacon to entice him. Someone to be the cat that chases and someone to be the mouse that runs.

The problem here is, though, Brett isn’t sure it’s a game Eddy is trying to get him to play. Is this supposed to be what close friends do? This strange push and pull effect that includes Eddy staring intently at him, willing Brett with his mind to do something about… whatever whim he dares to think of.

“Let me.” Eddy says quietly once when he watches Brett scratch at his scruffy chin.

Brett raises his eyebrows at him, considering, before he goes along with it. “Okay.”

“Thanks.” Eddy grins.

“I don’t know why you’re thanking me.” Brett points out. "I’m letting you near my face with a sharp object."

“Just something I want to try.” Eddy doesn’t elaborate as he smiles pleasantly.

For all their supposedly telepathic connection, Brett can’t read minds and doesn’t know what Eddy is thinking at all at the moment.

Eddy has gathered his shaving supplies near the sink and instructs Brett to stand still and relax.

Brett has already taken a warm shower beforehand, so his skin is now soft and supple.

He watches Eddy shake the can of shaving foam, sprays foam into his palm and spreads the foam between his palms, before lathering Brett’s face where he usually gets his scruff.

“Don’t move.” Eddy instructs and picks up the razor.

“If you nick my vein, I’ll haunt you.” Brett mumbles without heat. Tries not to accidentally lick the foam. 

Eddy gives him a tight smile, his mouth stretched in a fake cat smile, as he leans in close to study Brett’s face, sliding the razor across Brett’s sideburn. He carefully drags the razor down across Brett’s upper jawline and rinses off the razor ever so frequently whenever he finishes clearing a part. His free hand tilts Brett’s jaw around for better angles, unconsciously maneuvering himself between Brett's legs and traps Brett against the space between the wall and the sink.

Every time the razor gets close, feels closer, Brett inhales carefully between his nostrils, ignoring the pounding of his heart in his throat and zones out, staring at Eddy's face--the freckles disguising his pores, the acne scars marring his skin, the indents where his cheeks would dimple, the laugh lines around the corner of his mouth, the dip of Eddy's philtrum, Eddy's teeth biting his lower lip in concentration--

“Done.” Eddy says softly, leans away with a self-satisfying smirk. 

Brett looks at his reflection, turning left and right to check his skin and washes off the foam residue. He inspects his skin again and hums in approval, his fingertips patting the aftershave onto his face.

“Thanks man.” Brett says. “Do yours?”

Eddy drags his fingers across his own jawline, feeling up his extra smooth skin and shakes his head. “Nah. Some other time.” 

_*_

> _I feel I love you_
> 
> _Oh I love you_
> 
> _Oh I like you_
> 
> _Do I know you? Oh ah_

Eddy hums to the tune of a new pop song he discovered and vocalizes the words whenever he catches Brett's eyes from across the room. With no prior knowledge of how the actual song sounds like, Brett gives him a side-eye because some tones don't flow at all with no accompaniment.

But as his supportive friend, Brett gives him a thumbs-up for trying to serenade in the middle of practice hours. 

> _I think I love you (Love you)_

> _Oh I love you (Love you)_
> 
> _Oh I like you (Like you)_

> _Maybe you’ll feel it, too_

*

“Wait--something is missing.” Eddy says and pulls out his chap stick.

Brett watches him pop open the balm, fully expecting Eddy to put another lip show for him. However that isn't the case.

Years of being in close proximity with Eddy had prepared him too much for this moment, perhaps dulling his senses from flinching and jumping back, when Eddy presses the lip balm onto Brett's mouth, slides the sticky formula across Brett’s lips with care. 

"There." Eddy smiles, his thumb brushes the corner of Brett's mouth. "The pink brightens your complexion completely." 

Brett rolls his eyes at him. Takes a quick glance at his reflection and grudgingly agrees that the color does make him look less pale and more alive. 

Later on, when Eddy has his head turned away, Brett secretly sticks out his tongue to lick his upper lip, pauses to identify the taste. Doesn't seem sweet at all. Doesn't even taste that good either. Tastes like... nothing. The mystery behind Eddy's lip balm is now solved. 

*

Eddy's lips are so shiny today.

The tint he's using is too oily for his complexion, but actually looks nice when their studio lighting brightens the room, casting Eddy in a rather nice sleepy glow and making him extra sparkling. The tags of that video later on were filled with attentive fans celebrating Eddy's hot look number xxx (there is a list of Eddy considered as hot???). How anyone could make an oily look and still be considered hot, is a mystery to Brett.

His interest in Eddy's growing collection of lip balms is getting rather concerning to the point that even Eddy is giving him a knowing look as he puts on his latest lip care products. Eddy dares to close the distance between them in a few steps and raises his right hand to touch Brett's jawline, angling his face just right for Eddy to dip in for a chaste kiss. 

*

_Oh._

*

"How does it taste like?" 

"I..." Brett blinks several times. "I don't know." He unconsciously drags the tip of his tongue across his own lips. The movement doesn't escape Eddy's eyes at all, as he is watching Brett very closely at this point.

"Want another taste?" Eddy grins playfully.

**The End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for taking your time to read this! Halfway the chapter, my mind simply shut down. 
> 
> Finally finished this series! Now to work on another series.
> 
> Playlist mostly consists of:  
> \- Dreamcatcher - "Jazz Bar"  
> \- Dreamcatcher - "In the frozen"  
> \- Dreamcatcher - "Tension"  
> \- Dreamcatcher - "Red Sun"
> 
> The lyrics are from "Jazz Bar".
> 
> Also, congrats to everyone that got into the discord!


End file.
